Heat Treatment Australia has been named Commercial Heat Treater of the Year in recognition of its contribution to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.
“Heat Treatment Australia has recently qualified to provide a vacuum brazing process for the Joint Strike Fighter,” Minister for Defence Materiel and Science Mal Brough said in a statement. “This highly skilled process, undertaken in Brisbane, makes the aircraft stronger and lighter by using a high-end technology to bond metal together and reduce the need for nuts and bolts.”
Said Heat Treatment Australia director of strategy Karen Stanton:“This technology is particularly sought after in the aerospace industry, where one of the key aims of innovation is to reduce weight and increase strength.
“Heat Treatment Australia has already been involved in Joint Strike Fighter program production by providing thermal processing for components that have been machined by Australian manufacturers.”
Australian industry has secured US$484 million worth of F-35 design and production work so far, Minister Brough added.
